The program
The White House Presidential Innovation Fellows (PIF) program encourages successful entrepreneurs, executives, and innovators to join the government and work in close cooperation with government leaders. The aim is meaningful solutions that can save lives and taxpayer money, fuel job creation, and improve how government serves the American people.
With acceptance rates in the single digits, the program was established in 2012 by the White House and made permanent in 2015 by the TALENT Act . PIFs are onboarded as full-time federal employees at the GS-15 level and support senior executive sponsors at host agencies in public impact leadership roles on pressing priority initiatives.
What I'm working on
The aim is to support American energy dominance and position U.S. industry to lead in global innovation competition. My approach draws on lessons from building collaborative initiatives between academia, community organizations, and stakeholders to solve complex public challenges, now applied to the intersection of energy security and innovation capability.
Why I joined
I come from a military family. My grandpa is a former Marine, and my dad was a sailor who upgraded to the Air Force (#airpower). As the eldest, I joined the Air Force and all my siblings followed shortly thereafter. Public service is what led me to enlist in the United States Air Force more than a quarter century ago.
Unfortunately, due to the cognitive dissonance of serving in a high trust role while being asked by Don't Ask, Don't Tell to be less than transparent with fellow warfighters, I left active duty after four years. Nevertheless, the instinct toward service only continued to gain momentum.
Over the following twenty-six years I built across defense, academia, health innovation, and entrepreneurship, including help launching satellites into space, lobbying for Don't Ask, Don't Tell repeal, and launching the initiatives to address social determinants of health globally.
The White House Presidential Innovation Fellows program offered a rare chance to bring that full range of experience back into federal service at a moment when innovation and digital transformation are converging. I wanted to be in the room where those decisions are being made.
Official program site
Learn more about the fellowship, current projects, and how to apply on the official program website.